[ad_1]
Josh Wolff has made it his business to become a full-fledged Austinite.
Ask Wolff his favorite places to eat in town, and the Austin FC manager will compile a list of around 15 places – Uchi, Suerte, Loro, La Condesa, Barley Swine, and Red Ash are some of the places he likes come to mind on this Monday afternoon – without thinking about it.
In fact, Wolff created the list of restaurants the club gives players when they first arrive in town.
More:Forward Moussa Djitté makes the most of his second start in Austin FC’s win over LA Galaxy
“The food here is fantastic,” Wolff told the American-Statesman. “I don’t live downtown anymore, but I miss being able to walk to lots of amazing places.”
As for his free time, although there isn’t much of it during the season, Wolff said he and his family enjoy driving around on either Lady Bird Lake or Lake Travis, while Wolff himself enjoys visiting local golf courses or just being outside .
Wolff has learned to love his new home and raves about the fans of Austin FC … even if they sometimes don’t necessarily return the favor.
In a season of frustrations at Q2 Stadium, Wolff has sometimes been the target of fan anger – especially in the last few months when Austin FC slumped to the bottom of the Western Conference.
Whether it’s wrong starting line-up, wrong substitutions or even the wrong wardrobe – yes, really – Wolff hasn’t done much right in the minds of some fans lately. But it’s nothing that attracts him when El Tree heads to Denver on Wednesday night to face the Colorado Rapids.
More:Austin FC manager Josh Wolff proves with a change of wardrobe that being verde is easy
“Criticism is fine – I don’t mind,” said Wolff. “Our fans are very knowledgeable and that’s one of the reasons I appreciate them. I am more concerned with what I can control and that is my group, my co-workers and the constant communication with the owners. “
Wolff makes no excuses, but Austin FC has always been uphill this year. Expansion teams rarely win much, and El Tree opened the season with eight straight games on the road. After injuring the end of the season in the first few months and having key players without a real striker for most of the year, Austin FC’s situation was a recipe to fight.
Even so, fans want results for their hard earned money and time. After what Wolff has experienced as a player, he would much rather have an interested fan base than the alternative.
When Wolff entered the league with Chicago in 1998, he spent most of his time there in a suburban stadium that few visited.
More:Austin FC signs contract with online gaming operator PointsBet. away
It got worse when he went to Kansas City in 2003, where the wizards of the time played in front of less than 10,000 spectators in the 80,000-seat cave-like Arrowhead Stadium. After Wolff returned to Kansas City in 2009 after a short stay in Germany, he spent his last two seasons there in a minor league baseball park when the club moved to a new football-specific stadium.
“You had to watch out for the third-base referee on the dirt,” joked Wolff.
Now Wolff is making it for a club that has one of the top 5 atmospheres in the league, and that is not a matter of course for him.
“The sport was in a completely different place than I played,” said Wolff. “Being part of it makes me appreciate this opportunity. I was there when there was no recognition. The welcome and feeling this community gave us from the start is real. When I go to the stadium and see our fans and the experiences that we can share with our fans – the energy, intensity and atmosphere they create is incredible. “
After beating the Los Angeles Galaxy 2-0 on Sunday night in a game in which Austin FC played high-quality football against one of the better squads in the MLS, Wolff stood on the field and let himself be worshiped by El Tree. It showed the club’s potential for the future, and Wolff aims to provide a consistent winner for the city he loves.
“We mostly compete with anyone and everyone in the league,” he said. “We didn’t shoot enough on the way and that became a point of fear for our group. But I want this club to play entertainingly and profitably because our match days are remarkable. We compete with the best atmosphere in the league – without a doubt. ”
Game on Wednesday
Austin FC at Colorado Rapids, 8 p.m., KBVO, Univision, ALT 97.5 FM
[ad_2]
